Category Archives: energy savings

San Diego: WaterSmart Garden Classes

Posted on September 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Agave, kangaroo paw and drought-tolerant grasses add color and softness to this garden. U-T file photo

San Diego area residents can learn how to save water and grow drought-resistant gardens through a series of workshops offered by the San Diego County Water Authority.

The WaterSmart landscaping workshops, offered on Saturdays at various sites in San Diego and North County, teach participants how to employ urban conservation in their own backyards.

Does drought resistant landscaping add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your home value and real estate appraisal questions.

Each three-hour class covers key concepts for water-efficient landscaping.

Participants learn to take a watershed approach to their yards by replacing turf with drought-resistant native and Mediterranean plants, according to the water authority.

They will learn how to capture rainfall through a living soil sponge rich with microorganisms that benefit plants. And they’ll evaluate their yard’s “microclimates,” noting soil conditions and identifying areas that are hot and dry, cool and shady, or windy.

Participants will learn how to select the right plants for each space, and how to group them for maximum benefit. And they’ll how to capture rainfall and how to efficiently use irrigation to minimize waste.

Class handouts will include: six elements of a California-friendly landscape, California-friendly landscape class resources, a sprinkler to drip retrofit guide, rain gardens and healthy soil, a sprinkler to rotary nozzles guide, and planning your project.

The classes will take place in San Diego, Escondido, Oceanside, Vista, at the Helix Water District and at the Olivenhain and San Dieguito Municipal Water Districts.

For a class schedule and registration information, call 619.533.7548 or visit www.watersmartsd.org

Are hybrids ‘greener’ than electric cars?

Posted on August 12, 2013 | Leave a comment

Electric cars don’t just have drivers. They have believers.

Most of the people buying electrics like the Nissan Leaf do so because they want to help the environment and fight climate change. The cars have plenty of other virtues, such as astonishing acceleration and virtually no engine noise. But eco-appeal remains their main attraction.

Does a home charging station add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions.

And yet, what if they aren’t the best cars for the climate?

A new study from Climate Central, a non-profit climate research group, argues that in most states, hybrid cars actually have lower lifetime greenhouse gas emissions than electrics.

The study is one of several published in recent years that tries to take a lifecycle approach to examining the benefits of electric transportation. They look at the greenhouse gas emissions that come from building the cars and generating the electricity they run on. For comparison, the studies also calculate the emissions produced by pumping oil from the ground, refining it in gasoline and burning it in cars.

All of the studies have shown that electric cars have higher greenhouse gas emissions in states that generate most of their electricity with coal than they do in states that rely more on nuclear plants or renewable power.

But how could an electric perform worse than a hybrid, which after all, still burns gasoline? Click here, and read on.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only.

Do You Need to Wash Your Rooftop Solar Panels?

Posted on August 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

It is a question gnawing at people who live and toil beneath rooftop solar panels: To wash or not to wash away accumulating dust?

The answer is don’t bother hiring a panel washer to let in the sunshine, according a study by a team of engineers at the University of California San Diego. You are highly unlikely to earn your money back in electricity.

Does solar add value to your home? Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your value questions; they specialize in green homes.

“The vast majority of solar-energy systems certainly get some dirt, but it has a fairly low impact on how much energy they produce,” said Jan Kleissl, the study’s principal investigator and an aerospace engineering professor at UC San Diego

The study looked at output from solar panels on homes and bigger buildings across California that report electricity output in return for rebate incentives from state government. Those data from 2010 were cross cataloged with rainfall events, assuming that a strong rain would clean a panel fairly thoroughly.

The analysis included California’s summer drought period, when rain can be scant for five months.

It found panels that had not been rained on or cleaned for 145 days lost little more than 7 percent of their efficiency. A mid-summer cleaning, under those dusty circumstances, might generate an extra $20 of power.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Category Archives: energy savings

San Diego: WaterSmart Garden Classes

Are hybrids ‘greener’ than electric cars?

Do You Need to Wash Your Rooftop Solar Panels?

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